In a softly spoken voice she told me she had been a lifelong Democrat voter but was seriously considering voting for Mr Trump because she was so disillusioned with the politicians running the White House.

That made me realise his potential appeal spread further than the stereotypical Trump supporters in trucker caps and sleeveless denim shirts.

New Zealand politicians would do well to heed the warning signs reverberating around the world.

Brexit was seen as a shot across the bow for politicians who did not recognise the economic and social struggle many voters were experiencing, and the Trump victory should be seen in the same light.

But a more immediate question is what a Trump presidency means for New Zealand.

Maybe this country's geographical distance will prove for once to be an advantage, with Mr Trump's immediate focus on countries like Mexico and China.

President-elect Trump has made no bones about his determination to take apart Barack Obama's legacy - part of that legacy was Obama's personal involvement in the nuclear deal with Iran and restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Only last week Prime Minister John Key had put the chances of getting the deal over the line at 50-50 - if Hillary Clinton had been elected, the Obama administration in the so-called 'lame duck' period could have still tried to get it through Congress before Mr Obama handed over the reins, but with Mr Trump such a staunch opponent that would be futile.

As president, Mr Trump can make the call on trade deals. Mr Key is still talking about the possibility of renegotiating some kind of deal after US advisors get in Mr Trump's ear but that may be overly optimistic.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a trade deal being negotiated between New Zealand and 15 other countries mostly in south-east Asia, may be New Zealand's best fall-back option.

Mr Trump also pledged to pull the US out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement - hailed as a major international breakthrough when a deal was agreed last year - but like the TPP, it has little heft without the US.

Fiji's Frank Bainimarama and Russia's Vladimir Putin stand out as two leaders Mr Key has struggled to bond with, but they may be a walk in the park compared with the unpredictable, self-possessed Mr Trump, who despite having strong ideas about how the world should work, has little experience in the practical, political realities of making them happen.